Student Support during Parental Military Deployment

Abstract

Families of Australian Defence Force (ADF) members also contribute to the defence of our nation. Through maintaining family functioning at home, they enable the ADF member to focus on their operational duties confident that the family members at home are proceeding with day to day lives. Schools play an important role in supporting ADF families by providing the necessary emotional support to enable students to maintain academic engagement and progress. The Defence School Transition Aide (DSTA) program assists school to fulfil this role. Through the provision of proactive and responsive support services for students, teachers and parents and the sharing of a contextual understanding of the ADF lifestyle, Defence School Transition Aides (DSTAs) add to the whole school contribution to supporting the ADF.